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My journey continues on

Dear voters of Joo Chiat SMC, dear Singaporeans

As you now already know, I have lost narrowly in Joo Chiat SMC. I had wanted badly to win it for all the supporters who walked tirelessly with me, who blasted emails and phonecalls to lobby for support, who gave selflessly of their time and money, and for all the residents I have met who cheered me on. I accept the results and urge Joo Chiat residents to work with Charles Chong as the elected MP for the common good of residents.

My political journey officially started only 2 months ago when I was first accepted as a member of The Workers’ Party and then accepted as their likely candidate for Joo Chiat. It was not that I was not interested in politics before this, but my fear for my business and my family led me to delay my formal entry as a member of a political party until I was certain of myself. I had followed political developments in Singapore for a long time, written to the forum pages of the newspapers, sat on government committees recommending policies and served in many community activities. These have gradually led me to my conviction that there is an need for a credible alternative voice and a need to move out of my comfort zone to be part of the change process.

It has been an incredible 2 months. As a political rookie, I had to learn to overcome my fears, learn how to engage with residents, how to speak at rallies, how to organise supporters around me and how to organise a campaign. There were mistakes and hiccups but I am proud of the way we close ranks and overcame whatever problems that came our way.

We did well. I know many residents have been won over and have come out openly to declare their support for our Joo Chiat campaign, despite whatever mistakes I may have made. We swung many voters. I believe I had lost because there is still a large silent majority who have fear in them; fear of their votes not being secret, fear of the uncertainty of an alternative party running the constituency and fear of losing whatever benefits the ruling party can give to them.

My journey has just begun. It will not stop with this narrow defeat. In whatever capacities available to me, whether as an active citizen or through the political processes, I will continue to push for improvements to our political system so that there will be a fairer Singapore, there will be true democracy and there will be channels where your voices will be effectively heard. I will continue to propose ideas which I believe can improve our lives and better shape our economy.

Once again, I like to thank all the supporters and residents who have given me their confidence and I look forward to your continued support.

You did very well, Mr Yee. Just keep working the ground, and let us get to understand what you are doing and planning on doing for the next 5 + 5 years. As for other people’s comments that Joo Chiat SMC will become part of a GRC next time, let me tell you that it had been part of a GRC before ! No big deal for resident voters. The point is, we never had much of an Opposition to vote against in the past. We had the Least-Worse Choice scenario in the past, you see.

Mr Yee,
Not sure whether you can recall in your recent campaign walkabout, my girl was so excited to meet you and show you her support with her toy hammer.

We are sad that you have lost by a small margin, however we are confident that you will win in the next GE. You have done extremely well to make Workers Party and opposition supporters proud.

I hope you will accept the NCMP post that is offered as it will develop you further and make people notice you even more. Sylvia Lim is an example, I am very impressed with her performance in the parliament as a NCMP and she is now a NMP.

You have done well and you should be proud of what you’ve been able to achieve. The problem we have is that there is no transparency with how constituencies are dtawn/redrawn etc. That is a major issue for given the near miss for the PAP, I am sure they’ll want to redraw Joo Chiat in 2016 – perhaps merge it into some GRC.

But that should not stop you and the Workers’ Party from working hard. Even if Joo Chiat is dissolved in 2016, if you have ground work already done over the next 5 years, I am sure the WP and you will stand in good stead.

First of all, great job Mr Yee! My family were rooting for you all the way! If you’re contesting again next time, you’ll have our vote. The result is a very sad one. I just can’t believe people voted for someone who called them “lesser mortals”.

He doesn’t even live in our area. He doesn’t even seem to care about “joo chiat”. It seems to me he is in charge of our ward not because he wants to, but because he was arrowed to do so. It’s just a job for him. I probably won’t see him until the next elections(if we’re still an smc).

Write a psalm and let the pain voiced out. Then come back in 5 years. We will be there cheering you on. You and the rest of the opposition team had loosened the ground for a superb Parliament for Singapore. What you did was entrepreneurial!

You have indeed done very well! While I’ve to be away from Singapore, I continue to be in-touch with what’s happening back home (in fact even more so now that I’m away) and have been following the changes in the political landscape that have been evolving. As many of us already felt it, this was indeed a watershed election. I could only follow the rallies by listening to the recordings of the speeches. After listening to you speaking at the rallies, I had expected you to win despite that this is your first time contesting. The small margin of difference shows that you have the potential to win the election, especially with the experience gained from this one. Your leap of faith in overcoming the fears and uncertainties to enter opposition politics is an inspiration to many of us and paved the way for more people who will take up the challenge as you all have done. I salute all of you in WP and others for the courage and the various forms of sacrifices you’ve all made to stand as candidates of the opposition and helped move the country one step closer towards a first world parliament.

I was rooting for you and hoped you would win, not just for your efforts, not for the WP, but as you had rightfully put it when we met when you walked the grounds on Cheviot Hill, “it’s time for a change”.

I am upset about the marginal win, and more so about the rejected votes.

Your journey continues, and so do ours (your supporters). In a way, we have won. The ruling party (yawn) know now where they stand and their “holidays” are, hopefully, over.

What we’ll be watching now:

Will Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC be marginalised?
Will the Elections Dept continue to be under the charge of the PM?
Will the opp MPs hold their Meet The MP Sessions in the same environment as the PAP’s?
Ministerial renumeration.
Will opp party members, and their family members, be discriminated in any way, shape or form?

Congratulations Mr Yee! I am very happy to learn that you garnered over 48% of the votes in Joo Chiat, which includes mine! The results speak for themselves: people in this quiet Eastern neighbourhood are not taking anything for granted. We want change for the better, and we want our views to be taken seriously, even if they confront the ruling party.
This is a truly wonderful neighbourhood to live in. But I have one pet peeve to surface to you: why are cyclists allowed to flout the law and ride across underpasses and overhead bridges when signs are clearly displayed that this act is prohibited and a fine of S$1000 applies to errant parties? Why bother to post these signs and have such a law without enforcement? Similarly, why bother to delineate between pedestrian pathways and cyclists/roller blader pathways in the park when there is no one to enforce this rule? Why are cyclists allowed to cycle on five foot ways, or ride two abreast right in the middle of the road with heavy traffic and expect motorists to give way to them? I am simply tired of such socially rude behaviour.

Now that you are an NCMP, would you find some time to bring this up and question the people at LTA who are earning my tax dollars please?
I hope you do not think this is such a trivial problem. Rude cyclists are plenty in this neighbourhood. Their inconsiderate behaviour are a bane to motorists, pedestrians, joggers, strollers, and especially, the old and less mobile. How can one segment of the population be allowed to continue to terrorise all others?
Thank you Mr Yee.

You have done well JJ. Keep it up. Overall Singaporeans are fed up with the present policies which seems to be against citizens and only favour the few. The old PAP (most if not all had passed away) did good for us but the new PAP only look after themselves.

The trend is set and the demise of the PAP is already written on the wall. At the rate things are going, LKY may not see the next election. LSL according with my personal encounters with him as a fellow officer in the Artillery in 1973 is not in my book as a good leader.

My whole family was actually looking forward to having you as our MP for Joo Chiat as it is so rare to have a MP living in the same constituent that they are working for. We were so close to having our wish fulfilled.

Nevertheless, hope you will keep up the good work put in so far by you, your team and your party. I think you guys definitely have the potential to go far. Aim for the next GE and contest for it wherever Joo Chiat may end up in. My family will support you and your party all the way.

First of all, I’m saddened by the loss margin. However, I’m glad that you will be an NCMP. This allows you to build up your credibility and presence and I’m sure you will get the support next time round. I think a factor here against you was that you only started out in politics very recently – which means several people are unwilling to take a risk with you. Also, you did not seem as passionate or determined in your public speeches as say, nicole. This is something you can work on while being an NCMP.

Although Mr Low can easily be excused for his command of the english language, I think that since you are younger, it is much harder for you to scrape through with the younger voters if you cannot deliver your messages well (in vocal speech). Your blog here is fantastic though! So I hope you can work on your public speaking as well.

Also, as the news reported, even though I voted for you, I did not agree with your “solution” to vehicle parking issues (that of promoting neighbourliness) at locations (everywhere) where the culprits are non-residents. Neither do I buy the first world parliament line (We need competent, clean, people MPs, regardless of party and regardless of checks n balances). I will be waiting to see you planning the future of Joo Chiat SMC with concrete plans and not talk for the next election. Please also make sure to keep Charles on his toes for the next 5 years – making sure he is worth his salt since you are also a member of the ward. Regardless of whether we are Joo Chiat SMC or otherwise, I hope you can stand for us again – even if we are in a GRC.

Lastly, all eyes will be on Aljunied and Hougang now. I hope you will also remind your party that they HAVE TO make Aljunied and Hougang literally SHINE for the next election. No screw ups in the next five years. Or else nobody will trust WP next time round if Aljunied falls into ruins. Let us not give that PAP reason for the MM’s comment. Hopefully Aljunied will make headlines with the people there being the HAPPIEST people in Singapore – so that everyone else can follow suit! Please take good care of the people there, as well as still be our NCMP voice here – so that the next time round, you will be our MP. Please build up your name! Help us out in Joo Chiat SMC – hope to see you around within these 5 years, upstage Charles in his own territory and force PAP away!

great job, thank you very much! heard you & your team thanking us under the blazing hot noon sun just now, but by the time we went out to our gate, your truck (& accompanying car) had already passed by – even though you might not have seen anyone around on our street, do know that we did hear you! do keep us posted on your plans.

You have achieved much and have alot of support from the people in Joo Chiat, especially against a veteren politician in the PAP Charles Chong, who typifies the arrogance of the PAP wth his belittling remarks on citizens.

If all the overseas votes have been included, especially all who have missed this GE 2011 because they registered to late. You have only lost by a very small margin, of which these overseas votes would have eclisped the PAP votes of just 192 votes?

It is difficult to understand why as Singaporeans, is there the need to register to vote, and have reasons that they are back in Singapore for 30 days? Perhaps uniquely Singapore.

There were alo no announcements of these prior to the issue of the writ in April 2011 in HK, where I reside andI believe also in many of the other places. Most of the people I know in HK flew back to vote. In HK this is possible, because the cost is lower, but not for people in the USA, Europe, and elsewhere.

With the social media platform where the people now have access to news and alternative views from independant bloggers, writers, and the PAP CONTROLLED news by the MSM, the next GE 2016 will be also interesting if the PAP is not listening to the people and just talking.

We have to thank WP and LTK, and all the oppositions for this watershed elections, to shake the PAP out of the arrogance, complacent and incompetence, that voters and Singaporeans want to be heard and not just “noises” and people to be “disengaged” as what their million dollars ministers have been saying, even at the start of the electon.

Keep up the good work, and show the PAP that it is not only them that have talents… or talents like their Tin Kate Sapde.

I am not a resident of Joo Chiat or an ardent supporter of any political party. I attended WP rallies and heard your speeches. Great! Well done! Please continue the good work and remember, as the earlier commentators said, to fight for the residents’ needs and rights. Can I suggest that you, and Joo Chiat residents, keep pushing Charles and company to promise that Joo Chiat has to be a SMC without any boundary changes at least for the next one or two elections. This is very important. Make them (PAP) state publicly (in print or other media records) so that by the next election you can continue to stand as a WP SMC candidate. If you don’t follow this advice, they will subsume Joo Chiat into a GRC and no matter how strong your support base is, it can be diluted by other constituencies’ support for PAP. Then, all your work in the next five years will come to nothing. All the best!

Thank you for presenting us with credible choice in GE2011. You took a bold step and won our confidence with your sincerity and passion. I hope you continue forward. I look forward to your contributions as an NCMP. And I am certain by GE 2016 you will make us proud of our ‘local boy’ !

Thanks a lot! It is because of supporters like you that I wanted so badly to win that I walked till my legs were numb but I kept going. Just unfortunate that being a newbie with little profile, I could not crack PAP’s grip on the silent majority given the short time. Continue to support the alternative voice cause.

Dear Mr Yee
Like you, i have lived and breathed the life of the east since i was born. This year was my first chance to vote… and i had been following your blog closely, as well as your prospective plans for our neighbourhood – and i found myself actually excited about voting. Imagine the horror and shock i felt when my polling card arrived and i learnt that i was not under joo chiat but instead, Marine parade GRC.
I have been living in Joo Chiat for the past 2 decades and counting, and i was excited to vote as a proud resident of Joo Chiat – instead i was cruelly denied the chance to do so. instead, i was suddenly made to vote for marine parade GRC – i have never used the facilities in that community, certain individuals had NEVER had anything to do with my street ….
i presume that this must be related to the results of the previous elections – because most of the people on my street suffered to same, and were extremely disappointed with the authorative approach in which we were made to vote in our capacity as “pseudo residents”of another place.
NOT fair at all.
Had most of us who’d ACTUALLY been residents of joo chiat been given the chance to vote, theres’s no saying how different the results would have been.

I am very disappointed that i was denied the chance to vote as a true, bona fide resident of Joo Chiat.

Nevertheless, I still support your beliefs and your proposed plans for your neighbourhood. we’ll still be supporting you. have faith.

yes, the more i think about it makes me slightly peeved. i live just a stone’s throw away from JOo chiat CC.
keep updating your blog, we’ll be watching to see how else we can help you in the next five years.
i need to thank you and your party for MY “political awareness” this year.

I have lived at various times on different sides of the Marine Parade GRC/Joo Chiat SMC boundary and am currently at Joo Chiat SMC. My parents are still at Joo Chiat Place which is under Marine Parade GRC. I like to think that I understand at least to some extent how NJ feels. If the PAP wants to gerrymander with this area again, they better think hard. The newspapers have not mentioned this but I feel that one of the reasons why Goh Chok Tong has such an appalling vote count is that since 1992, Marine Parade GRC has been stuffed with areas from other constituencies such as Aljunied, Joo Chiat, Braddell, etc. These areas probably had a high vote count of non PAP voters anyway hence their inclusion into what was previously regarded as a safe seat of Marine Parade GRC. Now Marine Parade GRC cannot be regarded as a safe PAP seat anymore and PAP may not even be able to hold on to it in the next one or two elections as the number of voters of Goh Chok Tong’s generation decreases. It would be foolhardy of Marine Parade to absorb Joo Chiat or any ward from Joo Chiat. It would also be foolhardy to push Joo Chiat or any or its wards into East Coast GRC given WP’s already strong support in this area (another GRC which is at the threat of falling to WP in the near future given that the percentage of votes for WP there this election was even higher than WP’s votes in Aljunied in the 2006 elections). The PAP is beginning to suffer the effect of the double edged sword of their gerrymandering and they thoroughly deserved that. The PAP will suffer even more from this in the GE 2016.

Well-said. Bravo! Who wants to bet that the next GE will be before 2016? Kee chiew… .When MM is finally not around (which could be sooner than 5 years), PAP will start to fray not only at the edges, but witin as well, and LHL will have to call for GE to assert his authority.

yes, my main concern is based on the election results, the JC SMC may cease to exist in future…. and they might drag us into some grc.
If that happens i’ll be crushed. my family and i have lived here for over 2 decades . ihave lived and breathed my life here as a joo chiat resident since birth.
All i want is for a better life, a better future in our wonderful neighbourhood. NOT to be manipulated, or be used as a tool during elections.

Mr Yee, please be an NCMP if you have the chance to do so. There are 9248 of your supporters who would like you to stay with them for the next five years. Being an NCMP will let more voters know about you and give them the confidence to overcome their fears. Please keep up the good work, and in the next election it your votes will only increase.

You’ve done a great job in your campaign and put up a good fight for Joo Chiat SMC. It was terribly disappointing that we, the 48.99%, came so close to getting you as our voice in parliament. But please do not give up on us!

I know you’d mentioned that you’ll be back if Joo Chiat SMC still remains but even if the area does get redrawn or subsumed to a GRC, you can bat for this area again as you have ground support here.

I think your unassuming ways have won you many silent supporters, like me. I did not have the chance to meet you while you were on your walkabouts but I have heard you speak at rallies and read your interviews in the media. Even without the high level of media attention given to certain opposition candidates this election, you had one of the best showings among them which shows that voters here are able to recognise substance.

Frankly, I am likely to vote for any candidate who runs against the ruling party for the area because I disagree with the way electoral boundaries are redrawn each election and also with the GRC structure — but I believe you are a truly deserving candidate.

A news report seems to indicate that your support is stronger in the private estates which make up 99% of Joo Chiat SMC but weaker in the HUDC blocks that make up the remaining 1%. Is that true? Perhaps you can look into a strategy to address this.

On another note, I keep wondering why the SMC name is not even reflective of the estates it comprises, since the ‘Joo Chiat’ part of it has become part of the Marine Parade GRC.

Thank you for your support and your endorsement. Yes, we came in weak when there’s a big group of civil servants or retired civil servants. I will have to plan how to engage with them and to fight for their rights.

One sore point that old retired civil servants who are pensioners have is that their pension is not index-linked and the purchasing power of their monthly pensions has therefore plummeted with the increasing costs of living. Yet, on the other hand, parliamentary pensions continue to be pegged bsed on the highest annual salary of the office holder, regardless how little the office holder was actually earning at the point of retirement.

Sometime is obviously very very wrong. At party level, there should be a detailed re-looking into the pension scheme. Those who retired many years back when civil service actually meant serving the public and earning less than what they could have earned outside, because the State had promised them a pension for life, should continue to be properly looked after, but the ones who are on par with the private section (i.e. the Admin Service types) should no longer be entitled to pensions.

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS. As an overseas Singaporean, I tried my best to follow your campaign and the WP’s as much as I could via social media platforms. I could not get a good sense of the ground, but I thought that the odds would be against you in Joo Chiat, given that you are a brand new politician challenging a seasoned and also credible PAP candidate, and that the PAP had won the SMC by a large margin in the 2001 & 2006 elections. Hence, I was wonderfully surprised by your achievements within the short span of two months. It’s easy to feel let down if we focus on the slim margin, and I wish as well that there were just a few more votes to push you over the halfway mark. But from a frank perspective, I do think it was a resounding victory on your part. My personal assessment is that the fight in Joo Chiat was very much a WP victory. So, let’s look at the 49% (I’m including my own vote that unfortunately is still on its way to Singapore) and rejoice!

Second, and this is my personal view. Please take up the NCMP offer, if it doesn’t conflict severely with your personal life and work. It is both great public exposure and good political experience for you. It might seem to be going along with the undemocratic tactics of the ruling party, but in life, we all live to fight another day. Ms Sylvia Lim benefited from the experience, so I’m sure you will too. Within 5 years, I am sure you can increase your support base in Joo Chiat by at least 400 voters. Although your supporters were still insufficient in numbers to give you full voting rights in parliament, they at least gave you speaking rights. Because they hope you will speak up for them.

Third, please work out a political strategy to prevent Joo Chiat from being absorbed. Singaporeans have spoken loud and clear these elections that they do not appreciate gerrymandering, and that even a GRC protected by gerrymandering can be lost. If you are serious about contesting in Joo Chiat again and serving its residents, WP needs to increase awareness islandwide about Joo Chiat SMC’s danger of being absorbed. To do that, Joo Chiat SMC needs a voice and an identity of its own. And it needs to make clear that it wants to remain as an SMC, instead of becoming part of e.g. Marine Parade GRC. And it needs to get other citizens outside Joo Chiat on board and sympathetic to its situation. All this must be done, to raise the political stakes of dissolving Joo Chiat SMC five years later, so that the PAP will think twice.

Finally, a big thank you for having stepped forward courageously to face a tough challenge. I appreciate your honesty and personal conviction to do so. That is the mark of a sincere and enduring politician. Thank you for saying that you would contest in Joo Chiat again if the SMC still exists in the next GE. Let’s make sure that happens!

Thank you for putting up a good fight and please believe that there are some of us who really feel saddened by your loss. I can’t believe Charles Chong of the “lesser mortals” fame is now my MP! It’s a tough pill to swallow.

Mr Yee, you showed real heart these last 2 months and at the rallies – please continue your good work and keep on blogging. I for one, look forward to hearing your voice around my neighbourhood.

Thanks for your support. Do support Charles since he won the election. I will continue to do what I can for the community and to speak up through whatever channels available to me on issues of national interest.

I am deeply impressed by your sportsman-like behaviour and graciousness despite losing by a razor-thin margin and the odds stacked against you. I am sure that you had your fair share of difficulties getting into private estates to conduct door-to-door campaigning, unlike your rival. Kudos to you, and I hope that you will return to contest the ward the next time, when I am confident that you will prevail.

While I hope that “Joo Chiat SMC” remains in the next GE, I hope that the name of the ward is changed to, say, Frankel or Siglap, because it is a geographical travesty to call the ward Joo Chiat when barely any part of the Joo Chiat district falls within the ward! I took a drive around the ward just before the election posters were taken down, and I was quite staggered by the huge area you had to cover for a SMC.

Yes, Joo Chiat is quite a misnomer given all the historical Joo Chiat is not in it. It covers a large part of what was once Abdullah Tarmugi’s Siglap. I voted under Siglap and Kg Chai Chee when I was younger and living with my parents in Opera Estate. The naming is for the wise people in the Elections Dept to decide.

We covered all areas of Joo Chiat SMC door-to-door on foot in about 1.5 mths. In some areas like Opera Estate, we did twice. I wished I had time to do more and to enter more condos. That might have overturned the margins. Anyway, there will be another election and I will be back, God willing, whether as Joo Chiat SMC or as some GRC.

Thank you for taking the courage to make a stand. As you have advised, we will support our current MP and hope that he continues the positive work that Mr Chan has previously done and improve or close any gaps. Resounding with the sentiments of other supporters, I too hope that your presence will continue to impact Joo Chiat SMC as well as on the national level. Any political party needs a courageous man with a sincere and compassionate heart, which is what our current society lacks. I trust that you are such a man.

Lastly, please convey my thanks and respect to Mrs Yee. It takes love, faith and understanding from a spouse or immediate family members to provide utmost support to candidates running in any elections. In her own quiet way, her actions have reminded me what it means to support/love one’s spouse in his/her cause(s) to serve mankind.

May God always bless you and your family, Joo Chiat SMC and the people of Singapore.

Thanks Bern. My wife has been a great source of strength and support, not just for the GE but also in business and family. Once she overcame her fears and accepted the fact that I wanted to stand as candidate, she was fully supportive and did most of the walks with me and helped in the logistics. My children did too until the official campaigning started, because children cannot be involved in political campaigning.

Hi, I am not from Joo Chiat but everything you have said resonated with me. I hope you will continue on this journey and I hope to see you represent not only Joo Chiat but the people of Singapore in Parliament. Hope you will start a quiet and peaceful revolution in Singapore with your leadership!

What is to become of the WP GE printed materials and posters? Will the party consider organising a sale of the used materials, as a means of recouping some of the campaigning costs and also for fund raising? I, for one, will be happy to buy a few posters for keepsakes. And I have been trying to buy WP umbrella, but to no avail!

What do readers think of this idea, and how much would people be prepared to pay for, say, YJJ poster? $5/$10/$20 or more?

think it’s a good idea. i kept the white version of the little WP flag from the 2006 GE as a reminder of the hope felt by all at the 5th May 2006 Serangoon stadium rally. unfortunately i didn’t get to buy the blue version this GE – all sold out!

Dear Mr Yee,
A number of my friends admired and supported you with their votes. We have discussed and wondered if you would take up the NCMP post. We would love that you take it up for all the right reasons!!!

We will continue to give our support. Sylvia Lim had the exposure as an NCMP and i think she was the richer for it.

I was there at Hougang Stadium on Saturday and was near the stands when you went on air with CNA, was there to listen to your speech as you graciously bowed out of the 2011 elections.

Before the results I must say I really didn’t know what to expect of Joo Chiat, but I’m so proud of our constituency for being the underdogs that I’d bet no one saw coming.

Thanks for all your hard work and effort, and I do hope you’ll keep blogging, not just about politics but more about yourself, your life, your family and your businesses as well. We would love to know more about you now than you can do so in a more relaxed setting. 🙂

It was reading your blog that made me decide that my vote would go to you. Many of my friends have said you don’t really have stage presence and are not be a very good public speaker, so I’m glad you have a platform such as your blog that shows another side of you to us.

I look forward to seeing you again at the 2016 elections. Would love to volunteer and be more actively involved too. Have a good rest for now! Can spend more time with your family again. 🙂

Thanks Lizzaeh. I will continue to blog and plan to publish books in areas such as entrepreneurship and creativity development, which are in my area of expertise. Public speaking is something I have to learn. I do give a lot of lectures in my work but not political speeches. A big learning for me in this GE. Thank again for your support. Will post on my blog when I have initiatives on Joo Chiat or at national level that requires volunteers. Do follow my blog. Thanks!

Dear Mr Yee,
One of the things we worry about is developers who eye our neighbours’ homes to buy adjoining lots to build a condo. Our estate roads were not built for a high population density and when condos start popping up in places like Lor N Telok Kurau, it depresses the value of property in the area and everyone loses – including the new residents who move in.

It’s only a matter of time before some developer buys a string of houses in Frankel to develop a mini high rise, just like what has happened off Haig Road and along Joo Chiat Place near the East Shore Hospital. Is there something under the land use act that manages how housing estates should be developed? Poor land use management only adds to parking problems in the area.

The other issue we worry about is flooding. I found out that we had a case of flooding off Frankel Avenue which wasn’t reported in the press. We heard about this not from outgoing MP Mr Chan, but from the karung guni man after we asked why he had a stack of discarded TVs in his truck.

Speaking of floods, does anyone know if Yaacob “once in 50 years” Ibrahim still lives along Dunbar Walk? His house is being renovated and I wonder if he sold it.

After CC’s close shave in Joo Chiat SMC, it will be interesting to see if this SMC still exist in 2016.

re: WP souvenirs. I’ll buy the two red WP flags you had on the loudspeaker truck if they’re up for sale please.

If I am not mistaken, unless it is zoned for good class bungalow or conservation, there’s not much one can do about landed houses being torn down for apartments. There’s the usual plot ratio but if you have a big enough land, developers will buy and make apartments. I don’t think Siglap / Frankel area is zoned to disallow apartments.

Flooding took place in Opera Estate and Telok Kurau last year. Some of the drains in Telok Kurau looks like they cannot hold the capacity. Not aware of Frankel flood.

I will have to check the stock on the flags as I don’t keep these myself.

I reckon if not for PM’s apologies at Raffles Place you would be my MP by now. Humility is a powerful trait and you should use it to work with the residents of Joo Chiat. Ask Mr. Loh not to reject the offer of NMP as every voice counts. For all we know 5 years from now they may scrap Joo Chiat or absorb it into Marine Parade (they won’t dare risk East Coast GRC).

Joo Chiat is largely middle and upper middle class and we are the sandwich class. So heartlands tactics won’t swing with us. Therefore engage us differently from the HDB heartlanders.

Btw Siglap/Opera Estate/Frankel areas cannot be built into flats, only landed houses whereas Telok Kurau can and you see all the small condos /flats sprouting up like mushrooms there. Big parking/traffic problem. Let our “greater than mortal” Charles have a crack at that for starters.

The fact that so many comments here – and elsewhere on the net – include predictions of the demise of Joo Chiat SMC speaks volumes about what we think of the system. Perhaps you can post a map showing the electoral boundaries of the ward on your blog and on your Facebook page so we can remember how it looked in GE2011.

You did best and I believe your next results will be better in the next GE with more ‘soft marketing’ of yourself and with the help of gradually stronger brand name of WP from now till the next GE. You remind me a bit of Chiam See Tong when he 1st campaigned as an Independent Candidate in Carnhill Constituency, with a loud speaker and his Volkswagen. He didn’t win in the 1st time but he subsequently won.

Since the east (Joo Chiat and surrounding areas) is your roots, maintain your roots since this will be your formidable power base, keep in touch with your St. Patrick alumni, volunteer for some work for your St Patrick Secondary School, keep your options open to wonder a bit beyond the Joo Chiat constituency since the boundary is not fixed, get yourself a good bike to cycle or jog around the area or at east coast.

The past 1-2 weeks must have been a very physically demanding one for you. Before you decide on your next move, just relax and spend more time with your family whom you may have neglected. Book for a trip to go for a few days of holidays with them. Family ties and support is very important. You can lose everything but the last thing you want to lose is your family. Do the things you enjoy that you have missed out recently!

The road ahead is long. Keep fit, keep yourself healthy in order to do anything you want going forward.

you have the mandate of almost half the people of Joo Chiat. You have legitimacy. Take the NCMP seat and continue to fight not just for national issues, but local Joo Chiat issues as well. Even if Joo Chiat is absorbed into a GRC, with East Coast and Marine Parade both polling near the mid 40% for opposition, there is less room for effective gerrymander and thus your efforts spent in Joo Chiat will not go to waste.

Thank you for offering the residents of Joo Chiat a credible opposition candidate. I believe the previous opposition candidate in 2006 only polled about 35% compared to your near 49%. I add my voice to the countless others urging you to take up the NCMP seat in order to raise your public profile in time for the next GE. It’s wonderful that with you as our inspiration, our quiet neighbourhood came out of the blue to confound the PAP pundits.

I am WP supporter from Joo Chiat and I am happy that you had re-energise the residents into political discussion of social & community issues. It was a clean fight and I appreciate the respond between you & Charles, it was civic and gentlemenly.

I would also urge you to take up the NCMP seats to improve your standings for 2016 and also to develop personally in the political front. There are serious social issues which the Government needs to address starting from immigration, foreign workers, educations and many others which we, as Singaporean, has a big stake in it.

But best of all, Joo Chiat will have 2 MPs to fight for the well being of our constituents and champion national issues for the greater good of Singaporeans. Please tell Sylvia that your constituents supporters back you up for the post……..

We would be disappointed if you don’t take it up…. don’t do a Lim Hwee Hwa on us!
Cheers

Dear Mr Yee,
I hope you will accept the NCMP seat. As you and your party WP grows, you will get more support from the people. Your party’s slogan of Towards a First World Parliament is a good one. Mr Low and Ms Lim understands the people well. Singaporeans by and large are loyal to PAP. Let them run the good show, let them drive the car. But Singaporeans want you and your party to slap them left, right and centre if they slack, become arrogant and out of touch with the people. Well, they have become fat and mean, getting huge salaries and insisting that everything is affordable, from transport to housing, from childcare expenses to hospital expenses. I can go on and on.
Anyway, as what Mr. Low said, WP do not have the license to drive but I would add that the people would give you the support to teach the driver how to drive. Isn’t it better? And if PAP still do not listen and drive properly, they know what the consequences would be, just ask the Aljunied losing team.
Well done.

Thank you for running in Joo Chiat. I admire your courage and selflessness. I voted for you and was very disappointed when the results were announced. Please do continue to fight the good fight as an NCMP and represent the people who voted for you. I am confident that you will succeed in the next GE and I will volunteer my help for your campaign.

I have seen throughout the past weeks that you have steped forward at great risk without certainty of title or reward, and have won the hearts and minds of the people of Joo Chiat and Singapore. Your party has done likewise and has my utmost respect. I thank God for people like you who fight for the underdog, are brave to stand up to injustice and are willing to make sacrifices for the common good.

Hi Yee JJ, congrats, I think you have done extremely well and you deserved to be a properly elected MP. I am very encouraged by your speech that government should be more willing to take calculated risks to bring about better futuer for our children. Look at what we have, the PAPs are risk adverse and practising age old strategy handled down by LKY that won’t work anymore. I am not against attracting MNCs but I am dead against Singaporean workers being manipulated including cutting workers benefits like cpf at their wish. Recent job credit package went stright to corpoarte profit, they didn’t stop cutting people. Since you become NCMP do speakup for the people, first bring accountability of Temasek operation. Singapore do not require GIC and Temasek, focusing on same strategy. Temasek need to be reformed and take on the role to create good jobs for Singaporean while GIC focus on investment returns. Ho Ching need to be removed, there is clear conflict of interest between husband and wife. LHL will not dare to say anything about HC, do you think MAS can say anything? I like what you say, we should not be afraid to create from blank. You hit right on spot what the government is lacking. Singapore is able and we must compete and draw our own future. Look at what we are capable, when threatened, SIA is formed and rest is history, similarly when threaten by Malaysia that water will be cut, we developed oustanding water management and technology. The PAP cannot create self-crisis mentality and prefered the old ways, to create good jobs tehy need to break away and invest heavily with a crisis mentality to create new area of growth like new energy, what makes us think that we cannot create total electric transportation in Singapore with outstanding technology . This issue is money is in wrong hands, Temasek is hopeless and bankrupt of ideas, they are not investing in the future of Singapore. Creative Technology is 3 years ahead of Apple iPod when they invented portable hard-disk player but sadly, no government saw it and fund this guy to world stage but Temasek will sink in US650million in micropolis a foriegn company and lose it all. We need more people that has industry and market experience to move Singapore to the next level. What we have now are all well educated boot-lickers that will see Singapore slide down the road yet do nothing and make belief with their own set of performance figures. We need entrepenuers like you to take Singapore forward, esle we are like slaves to the MNCs, sooner or later they will leave when cost rises. In this aspect, we lose very much to Taiwan and Korea, look at how the entrepeneurs there has been instrumental in growing their economy. Thanks you Mr Yee, I wish you all the best in Parliament.

Congratulations. Your voters have given a strong mandate to represent their interests. You should fulfil their wishes. I like your clear, sincere and strategic approach in solving challenges and harnessing opportunities.
I strongly support WP central committee to endorse Gerard Giam to be appointed as NCMP. In five years time, he is about 39 years old, mature and ready to assume the leadership succession plan either in Aljunied GRC or another new frontier.
As long as there is NO Pride or Arrogance in the governance, for the humble will be exalted in the nation of Singapore.
Let our nation continue to prosper in righteousness and humility.

Hi Mr Yee
Thank you for standing for joo chiat.my family were rooting for you to win as we know you will do a great job if elected.somehow you came across as really sincere and humble and someone who can build up the joo chiat community spirit.I also feel that it is important to work on the improving the relationship between the residents for people to be more respectful and tolerant of each other. I admire you for been an entrepreneur and believe that you can be an inspiration and driving force for those people who have great ideas but just fearful about taking that first step . Hope that you can continue to build up your presence here

I believe you lost principally because you only walked the ground for 2 months only. To get 49% after that is a huge achievement and shows the good branding WP has. Please continue to walk the ground in Joo Chiat for the next 5 years and I’m sure that come GE2016 you will be able to win the additional 1% of voters to make you the elected MP for Joo Chiat.